Governor Mary Fallin Acts to Reduce Size of State Government

Monday

May 13, 2013 at 11:10 AMMay 13, 2013 at 11:14 AM

Governor Mary Fallin Friday signed into law two measures that will eliminate or consolidate 55 boards and commissions within state government. The measures add to previous government “right-sizing” bills backed by the governor. Over 75 boards and commissions have been eliminated or consolidated in this session alone.

HB 1455, by Rep. Jason Murphey and Sen. Greg Treat, eliminates 27 boards and commissions that are defunct, duplicative, or are no longer necessary to include in state statutes. By eliminating travel reimbursements and staff work time on these boards, HB 1455 will save more than $50,000 annually.

HB 1467, by Murphey and Sen. A.J. Griffin, consolidates 28 boards and commissions into seven new boards that will be overseen by the Department of Health. The elimination of reimbursements and staff work time related to these boards is estimated to save more than $300,000 annually.

“Over the decades, Oklahoma has seen the creation of hundreds of boards and commissions, many of which are now outdated and duplicative,” Fallin said. “The measures I signed into law today will consolidate or eliminate these entities without interrupting services. They also will deliver significant savings to Oklahoma taxpayers. My thanks go out to the Oklahoma Legislature for working with me to right-size our state government and reduce unneeded government boards and commissions.”

Earlier this legislative session, the governor signed into law other consolidation measures including:

• SB 767, which transfers the duties, assets, and obligations of the Commission on Marginally Producing Oil and Gas Wells to the Committee for Sustaining Oklahoma’s Energy Resources, which is a function of the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board

• SB 1011: Eliminates or consolidates 16 different boards and commissions within the oversight purview of the Secretary of Agriculture

“All of these reforms reflect my overall commitment to deliver a smaller, smarter and more efficient government,” Fallin said. “Not only will these improvements save money, they will make our state government more modern and more responsive to the needs of our customers: Oklahoma taxpayers.”